Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision

The new FC-Series thermal cameras from Flir provide optimal detection of vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians in a wide variety of conditions by detecting their heat signatures night and day. The company claims the thermal cameras outperform other detection technologies by detecting the heat signatures given off by everything in their field of view. Because they see heat, not light, they don’t get confused by the sun’s glare, darkness, headlights, shadows, wet streets, snow, and fog like video cameras do. Fl

Point Grey has added new 6.0 megapixel models to its Grasshopper Express IEEE 1394b (FireWire-b) digital cameras series. Building on the company’s experience with Sony EXview HAD CCD II technology, the new Grasshopper Express GX-FW-60S6 uses the Sony ICX694 to deliver high resolution and extreme sensitivity in a compact and low-cost package. “The new Grasshopper Express 6 MP camera is especially useful in traffic applications, where imaging fast moving vehicles requires high sensitivity and minimal gain to

Perceptions of machine vision being an expensive solution are being challenged by developments in both core technologies and ancillaries. Here, Jason Barnes and David Crawford look at the latest developments in the sector. A notable aspect of machine vision is the flexibility it offers in terms of how and how much data is passed around a network. With smart cameras, processing capabilities at the front end mean that only that which is valid need be communicated back to a central processor of any descripti

Plextek, the design house behind the Blighter electronic-scanning ground surveillance radar system, has announced today that its radar units have been deployed to enhance Heathrow’s perimeter security. The Blighter B400 series electronic scanning radars – with Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) and Doppler processing – form part of an integrated perimeter security system at Heathrow, developed and supplied to BAA, the airport operator, by Touchstone Electronics, a specialist security provider to the

AMG-Panogenics, manufacturer of the PanoCam 5 Megapixel 360 degree camera, has announced an OEM partnership agreement with Tecton, the UK based designer, developer and manufacturers of CCTV for commercial, security, government and broadcast applications. Under the new agreement, Tecton will integrate PanoCam360 into all its video management systems.

SafeZone, Siemens’ approach to average speed enforcement, has been approved for deployment in the UK by the Home Office. Designed, developed and manufactured by Siemens, SafeZone is a modular system which combines ANPR technology with advanced data processing and back-office systems. It uses the company’s Sicore cameras each of which can monitor two lanes of traffic in both directions, dramatically reducing the cost of deployment and system complexity.

Spanish company Libelium has announced it has developed new sensing technology that can detect smartphones through their WiFi or Bluetooth interfaces and integrated it inside Meshlium Xtreme, the company's multiprotocol router. Applications of this new technology go from street activity measurement to vehicle traffic management. For instance, the company claims it is possible to monitor the number of people passing daily in a street, the average time they stop at landmarks, like shopping windows, and even d

A final super-tough practical trial on all the Dakar rally trucks of the winning Team Petronas De Rooy Iveco and the Veka Man Team marks the successful end to the extensive field testing of the new generation of Groeneveld cameras. Groeneveld says it is now ready to launch a completely new camera, developed and produced inhouse. Combined with the the company’s high-resolution monitor. also produced in-house, the CMOS colour camera ensures a perfect image, even in bright light, at night or in poor weather co

Clearview Traffic has announced the Golden River M830, a new low-cost journey time monitoring and queue detection solution based on Bluetooth device recognition. A single unit detects and uniquely identifies multiple vehicles simultaneously across all lanes and in both directions. The company claims that on a dual carriageway the cost of an installed site is as little as 10 per cent of an equivalent ANPR installation.

Redflex Traffic Systems in the US has announced its latest innovation, Student Guardian, designed to curb dangerous driving behaviours, and enforce traffic laws on school bus routes. Every school day, thousands of motorists break state laws by driving around stopped school buses. The system provides students with an extra layer of protection as they enter and exit the bus, capturing images and video of potential violators who put children’s lives in danger.